80 Apartments for rent in Modesto, CA

Ready for a move to Modesto? Centrally located in the Central Valley, Modesto is within a fe...Ready for a move to Modesto? Centrally located in the Central Valley, Modesto is within a few hours of the Bay Area, Yosemite, Napa and Lake Tahoe. As California’s 17th largest...Read Guide >

Ready for a move to Modesto? Centrally located in the Central Valley, Modesto is within a few hours of the Bay Area, Yosemite, Napa and Lake Tahoe. As California’s 17th largest city, you can have the urban living experience without the cost (or traffic) that comes with other major California cities.

One of the best things about Modesto is that when compared to other California cities, rent here is cheap. Rents on one-bedroom apartments start in the low $500’s. In Modesto, landlords like to see that your income is 2.5 times your rent so do the math and keep those numbers in mind as you peruse listings.

Like many other cities, landlords will expect to see employment & income verification in the form of pay stubs or bank statements. You may also need to provide a credit report, past rental references and up to two forms of identification.

It’s a slower one. What does this mean for you? There isn’t a whole lot of competition for apartments, and landlords don’t typically get multiple applicants for the same unit. That said, the best time to look for a new place is during the winter months when fewer people are on the hunt for rentals. Short term or month-to-month leases are common here, which is a nice change of pace from most other cities of Modesto’s size. Finally, because of the whole slow-market thing, the rental process doesn’t typically last more than two or three days, so if you’re in a hurry, good. You’ll be able to find an apartment and be moved in within a week.

Central Modesto includes the Sylvan/Coffee Neighborhood, Airport, and Downtown. Downtown is growing in development. There’s plenty of entertainment, shopping, and it’s home to The Gallo Center for the Arts and Theatre.

Northeast

Riverbank: Here you’ll find the Riverbank Community Theatre and the Rio Arts Center. This hood also plays host to the Riverbank Wine and Cheese Exhibition, which attracts many a wino and cheese-o.

Oakdale: Tons of fairs, festivals, and gatherings are available in Oakdale, the Cowboy Capital of the World. It’s also a great place for hiking, camping, water sports, snow sports, boating, fishing, and more due to its central location and proximity to both sand and snow. Oakdale is one of the better areas in Modesto.

Northwest

Ripon: This area in Northwest Modesto has a small town feel to it. Ripon also host series of events such as the Almond Blossom Festival, Taste of Rippon, Main Street Day and several others. This is also a great spot for outdoorsy people due to it’s proximity to Caswell State Park.

Salida: Here you’ll find Caswell Memorial State Park.

Eastside

Empire: Empire is a very agriculturally influenced area.

Waterford: This area leads to many great recreational areas such as Turlock Lake, Lake Don Pedro, Modesto Reservoir, Yosemite Park, and more. This agricultural community is known for their corn, almonds, peaches, walnuts, and apples.

Westside: A little more rural in character.

Southside: Within Southside you’ll find neighborhoods like Hughson, a very small agriculturally influenced community, Shackelford, and Ceres, which hosts several family events, fairs, car shows, and parades.

Apartment List has released Modesto's results from the first annual Apartment List Renter Satisfaction Survey. The survey, which drew on responses from over 18,000 renters, provides new insights into what states and cities must do to meet the needs of the 105 million American renters nationwide.

"Modesto scored very low for city satisfaction, ranking it near the bottom decile of our study," says Andrew Tam, Vice President of Data Science at Apartment List. "The US renter population is at its highest level in 20 years, and Modesto renters show particular dissatisfaction with commute quality and access to recreational opportunities."

Key findings in Modesto include the following:

Renters gave Modesto a D overall, ranking 88th out of 100 cities in our national study.

Modesto scored slightly above average for confidence in the local economy, earning a B.

Despite confidence in the economy, only 47% of renters in Modesto have plans for future homeownership which grades out at a D.

Modesto's top grade was an A- for quality of local schools: 63% of renters report satisfaction for this important category.

Modesto ranked almost dead last for quality of daily commute with only 40% of renters expressing satisfaction, good enough for an F grade and 99th place in our rankings.

A detailed report explaining the survey's methodology, analysis, and findings is available upon request. To obtain a copy, please email Andrew Tam, Apartment List's Vice President of Data Science, at andrew@apartmentlist.com.